Difference between Leadership and Management

Oftentimes people tend to undermine or even discredit leadership. Over the years the question has been asked, “is leadership necessary or do people naturally have the ability to lead?” Having good leadership will do more good than harm as this will result in limited loss of productivity and the reduction of conflicts in any organization. Leadership is indeed needed in all our day to day activities. Leadership roles tend to make individuals more responsible. Good attributes are essential in leadership and making a good leader.

No successful organization would be able to meet its goal to be where it is today without effective leaders. This factor is customarily one of the main and primary drivers for growth, development, and innovation.

And take note, leadership is not about the titles or even the accolades. Being an effective leader is much more meaningful, impactful, and profound. This responsibility is earned and worked for. There is no set formula or step-by-step plan, it depends on the culture and needs of the organization.

Leadership is the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants. The man who successfully marshals his human collaborators to achieve particular ends is a leader, a person who can influence a group to work confidently, effectively, and provide guidance, so their efforts are not wasted. A great leader is one who can do so day after day, and year after year, in a wide variety of circumstances. (Prentice,2004). In corporate, it can be tempting to diminish your involvement, to “cover up yourself” but quite frankly it does not make sense. It may help at the moment, but it will not last. People will remember how you behaved. People are smart. And they are depending on you. (Grey,2010). It’s important to note that people in today’s companies are savvy and observant. They are plugged into their leaders’ behavior and they are paying attention. People do not want you to coddle them, they want you to lead(Perry,2009).

Good attributes are essential in leadership. Some of these qualities include being an honest person and having integrity, being a confident individual, having the ability to communicate and inspire, having resilience and humility, and also accountability. Accountability is a very essential quality because it shows others that you can be trusted to follow up on your responsibilities. Failure is a part of life, so a good leader should be able to accept failure and push to see where improvements can be made. Whether running your own business or leading teams in an office setting, the best leaders require a strong set of leadership qualities to help positively interact with their employees, team members, and clients.(Enfroy,2020).

In addition, people are afraid, and when people are afraid, they look for somebody to hate. They look for somebody to blame. So as a leader the responsibility and attributes should always be on point. Lastly a real leader speaks to anxiety and to fear and allays those fears, assuages anxiety(Gates,2011). Leaders should be able to listen and take into consideration the ideas and opinions of other members of that particular group/organization. This shows that you are a compassionate leader, and this also helps to earn respect. If that person is not open-minded, unwillingly to accept the ideas of others, and does not clearly state his ideas, he cannot sufficiently lead others. Everyone can be a leader, yet only a select few can become a great leader. Regardless if you have worked your way up the corporate ladder or just started your own business, the route to leadership is never an easy one. (Clarke,2010)

Leadership is needed in day to day activities. One needs to take charge. Leadership does not rely on ethical methods to be great - however, it needs ethics and morality to be effective. For successful yet limited results, leadership does not rely on ethical boundaries. 'Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.'(Smith,2011).

Despite the evidence, some may argue that leadership is not necessary, and everyone should know how to handle himself responsibly. Leadership is not always just about being in charge. In fact, it often means that the so-called leader must be subordinate to the situation at hand. There is a difference between a true “leader” and a “manager”, though often good managers are good leaders as well. By definition, leaders and managers are similar, however, leadership is a competency while management is a discipline. Managers regulate while leaders are developers. People depend on managerial figures to assign them a task and give them a sense of purpose. If someone falls out of line, managers can just fall back on rules seeing as they enforce them. Managers are also expected to systematize workers, not solely to enhance efficiency but to foster skills, develop talent, and produce efficient results while minimizing risks taken. Leaders on the other hand are risk-takers, they go against the grain and muster all the necessary resources and try new things to see how effective it can be.

Conclusively, a great leader fills voids by putting together a strong team of people who have strengths which the leader personally identifies as their own weaknesses. Now, this does not mean that they sacrifice their hierarchy within the organizational structure, but great leaders do understand that it is crucial to create the strongest team possible by bringing individuals with diverse strengths and expertise onto the team. For example, if a leader is strong with financials, strategy, and planning, however, is a bit weaker in creative areas of marketing and sales, they may want to ensure they have a strong sales person, a strong marketing person, and a strong web manager on the team to support the weaknesses the leader possesses. Being able to reassure your group is vital, to guide and motivate your group will ensure the effectiveness of the set goal. Also being an empathetic leader allows individuals to find comfort in seeking assistance or enlightenment in their given tasks.

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